


Boys Will Be... Cats?

by shutupfornothing



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Birthday, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Neko Dan Howell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-09-07 09:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16851715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupfornothing/pseuds/shutupfornothing
Summary: Daniel Howell first started noticing an unusual change with his body on the night of his 16th birthday. It started off as a small itch right below his spine. It didn’t hurt, it was just slightly uncomfortable. Next was the almost unbearable headaches. They were always particularly painful in two spots on the top of his head. Dan assumed it was stress. He didn’t look too much into it. The third sign was the twitching of his hands and feet. That one caused the most problems. He spent most of the day dropping various items everywhere and losing his balance.Daniel Howell first put all the pieces together and realized that he was part cat when he started growing a tail.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (originally: "catboi") I decided to write it. hope you enjoy :)
> 
> ☆ switch to Phil’s point of view  
> 🟄 switch to Dan’s point of view

🟄

Dan considered 16 to be a pretty big deal. Well, it wasn’t  _ that _ big of a deal, but it was still exciting. His birthday was in 9 days. His parents had been planning the party since last year. Sometimes he thought they were more excited about it than he was.

Dan didn’t want a big celebration. He just wanted to have a few friends come over and stuff themselves with cake all night, but his parents said 16 was a “special occasion.” They called numerous family members and friends to come in town and visit. Dan soon after decided that 16 was overrated and he no longer needed to celebrate it.

There were five things that Dan hated the most in life: trees, moths, family gatherings, parties, and families gathering for a party. He knew his birthday was going to be awful this year.

☆

Phil was 20 minutes late for class. He hadn’t meant to sleep so long, but his friends decided to steal his alarm from his room the night before. He’s never going to talk with a professor after a lesson again. To make his morning even better, Phil had looked everywhere but could not find the key to unlock his bike from the stand. He decided class wasn’t worth it at that point and sat back down on his bed. Holiday break was in one week anyway. He knew he would just forget everything he learned in class by the time he got back. So for now, Phil closed his eyes and slept.

When he woke up (4 hours later.... oops), there was an email waiting for him in his inbox. It was a message forwarded to him from his mum. He clicked on the message and checked to see who it was originally from before he decided to read it.

“M. Howell” - that was a last name Phil hadn’t heard in a while.


	2. Chapter 2

_From: M. Howell_

_Subject: Daniel Howell’s 16th Birthday_

 

_Come join the Howell family this Saturday - June 11th - to celebrate Dan Howell’s 16th Birthday!_

  * __7-12pm__


  * _Food and drinks provided_


  * _No present required, just your presenCE_



 

_We hope to see you there!_

 

__\- Howell Family_ _

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

☆

Phil was unsure about the invitation. He hadn’t seen any members of the Howell family since he moved away to continue with school. The only person he even remembered really connecting with was Dan, but he didn’t know if Dan would want him to come. Phil didn’t get the invitation, his mom did.

They kept in touch for a few weeks after he left, but their conversations quickly became shorter and less often as their school work piled on. Sometimes Phil wished he could reconnect with Dan, but he didn’t know if showing up uninvited to his 16th birthday party was the way to go about it. It seemed a bit… _forward_.

After going back and forth and stressing over his situation for the rest of the day, Phil ultimately decided, yes. He would plan to go visit his family back home, and if he happened to stop by Dan’s party on the night of the 11th, it couldn’t possibly hurt to say hi to an old friend.

🟄

When Dan heard that Phil Lester was coming to his birthday party, he maybe had a very small, complete freak out. It had been at least a year since they last texted and almost two years since Dan had even seen Phil. He was, as some people say, hella nervous. Back when Dan and Phil were neighbors, Dan might have had a stupid, tiny crush on Phil. Of course, it had faded since Phil left, so there was no reason for Dan to be worried. Right? It’s not like seeing Phil would suddenly spark all of the old feelings that Dan had for him in the past. Hopefully.


	4. Chapter 4

“Louise! I’m going to die! Please, come over and hug me one last time before I’m gone. I’m leaving you with my phone. You know how to get rid of it.”

 

_“Dan, what now?”_

 

“Have an ounce of respect for the dying! Have you no heart, Pentland?”

 

_“No, I don’t. Now what are you whining about? I considered not picking up because it’s 3:00 in the morning Dan Howell, but I knew you would just start complaining over text if I didn’t.”_

 

“To be fair, it’s an emergency.”

 

_“Dan, tell me what you woke me up in the middle of the night for or I’m hanging up and going back to bed in five seconds.”_

 

“Okay. Okay. Calm down, Louise. There’s no need to be dramatic.”

 

_“Bye Dan.”_

 

“No! Wait! I’m sorry, I’ll tell you.”

 

_“Thank you. Proceed please.”_

 

“Phil is coming back in town for my birthday party.”

 

_“Oh.”_

 

“My parents didn’t even tell me they were going to invite him. What am I supposed to do?”

 

_“You know, you could try talking to him.”_

 

“Why on Earth would I do that?! I can’t just go up to him and act like it’s normal after two years! I had trouble speaking whenever I was with him when were close. Imagine how much of an idiot I’ll sound like now.”

 

_“Dan, you’re overthinking again. It’s all going to be okay. PJ and I will be there with you. If you mess up or need to leave, we’ll cover for you. We always have and we always will.”_

 

“I know, but still… what if-”

 

_“No. You know you’re not allowed to say those forbidden words around me. PJ and I are coming over bright and early that morning to make sure you don’t sulk around all day. People are usually required to be emotionally stable before hosting a five hour party. We can even help set up. If we’re the ones to put the food out, then no one will notice if anything is missing before the party.”_

 

“I do like stealing food. I guess you have some kind of point. Thank you.”

 

_“Anytime. Well, actually, not any time. I’m still mad you woke me up this early, but you’re worth it you dramatic, emo sock puppet.”_

 

“I take back my thank you.”

 

_“No you don’t.”_

 

“Well…”

 

_“I’ll see you on Saturday. Do not, under any circumstances, let this keep you down. PJ and I are only a text away. Keep us updated.”_

 

“Yes sir.”

 

_“Daniel Howell, go to bed!”_

 

“Neverrr! Bye Louise!”

  
“ _Goodnight_.”


	5. Chapter 5

☆

Phil was in a predicament. When he got on the plane to head back to his hometown he had two suitcases: one with his clothes for the next two weeks and one with his toiletries and his camera. When he got to his parents’ house Friday night and opened the trunk of the cab, there was one suitcase. Phil had no clothes.

🟄

Louise wasn’t lying when she said her and PJ were going to show up “bright and early” on Saturday. No living human being should be allowed to arrive at someone else’s house at 5:00 in the morning. Dan hadn’t even gone to sleep until 3:30. He couldn’t help it. He was  _ stressing _ .

Phil Lester was going to be at his house in exactly 14 hours now and Dan was not prepared at all.

“Come on.” said PJ. “We can start with a banner. That should keep you distracted for a while. I brought paints!”

All Dan could do was shrug. “I guess.”

“Awesome!” said Louise. “I’ll go get some snacks.” She winked at Dan and went to go raid the kitchen.

Hours passed, and Dan was finally starting to feel less anxious. The banner looked… okay, and the trio had stuffed themselves with as many stolen cupcakes as they could. The only thing left to do was wait.

“Something is missing,” Louise said. She walked over to Dan and looked at the neatly decorated house.

“Yeah,” said PJ, standing up from his seat. He stood on the other side of Dan and stared at the open house. (Personally, PJ thought the decorations looked a bit plain, but Dan hadn’t wanted a party in the first place, so he let it go.)

Dan shrugged. “It looks fine to me.”

Louise leaned over and put her arm around him. “That’s where you’re wrong, darling. I think I know exactly what this party needs.” She grabbed both boys’ hands and dragged them to her car. “Get in, losers. We have 2 hours.”

☆

Phil woke up late Saturday afternoon. He had meant to get up earlier, but he spent a long time catching up with his family the night before. Phil now had 3 hours to buy enough clothes for two weeks (that he actually liked) and be home in time to get ready for Dan’s birthday party. He got out of bed and walked down the hall to his brother’s room. He knocked softly on the door and waited for Martyn to answer. He needed some fresh clothes before he could go to the store. Martyn let Phil in, he changed quickly, borrowed the keys to his parents’ car, and headed for the city’s mall.


	6. Chapter 6

🟄

As much as Dan trusted Louise, he didn’t trust Louise. They were at the mall at 5:30 on a Friday night. It was packed.

“Come on,” said Louise. “We don’t have much time.” She started to make her way to the other end of the mall. Dan glanced at PJ for help. He got none. PJ just smiled at him and followed Louise.

They ended up in a kid’s party shop… in the pinata section. Dan felt a part of his soul leave his body when Louise walked to the end of the shelves, stood up on her toes, reached for the top shelf, and picked up a llama pinata with a grin as big as Dan’s growing dread.

“Absolutely!” PJ exclaimed.

“Absolutely not!” Dan groaned loudly.

“Aw, come on, Dan! It’s exactly what you need,” PJ stated. He put his arms out and Louise placed the llama in his arms. “Look at its face. It wants a home!”

“It won’t have a face if we bring it to a party. That’s the literal point of a pinata.” Dan rolled his eyes (like the sad edgy teen he was) and simply said, “We are not bringing that home.”

20 minutes later Dan was standing at the bottom of a ladder watching PJ hang a llama pinata from his ceiling fan. “Why do I let you two talk me into these things?”

“Because you love us,” Louise said as she draped her arm around Dan in a sort of side hug.

“And because we’re always right,” PJ said as he stepped down off the ladder. “It looks good. Embrace the pop of color, Dan. You can’t be a depressi emo teen forever.”

“There goes my plan,” Dan deadpanned.

“Let’s go, Mr. Serotonin Deficiency. You need to get ready. We have a man to impress.”

☆

Phil was walking through the mall, headed to the clothing area, when he heard it.

“Absolutely!”  _ / “Absolutely not!” _

He couldn’t believe he was still able to recognize Dan’s voice in a crowd. Though, to be fair, he was kind of yelling. Phil decided he had enough time to take a short detour into the party store. He just wanted to… check it out. He wasn’t spying. That would’ve been creepy.

Phil spotted Dan’s mess of brown hair before he saw his face. Dan was turned the other way arguing (quite loudly) to two other people in front of him. Phil recognized the girl from school, but he had never seen the boy before.

When they turned around and walked to the check-out line, Phil quickly slipped out the door and headed for the clothing department. He still needed more than one pair of socks for his trip.


	7. Chapter 7

🟄

“No way.”

Louise sighed and held the clothing up higher. “Come  _ on _ , Dan. You’ll look great!”

“No,” Dan repeated even more sour than before. There, sitting as if she owned his bed,  Louise was, holding up a glittery black and silver jacket that she had stolen from her dad’s closet. “I refuse to be the disco ball at my own party.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” said PJ. “It’s going to do wonders for your curves!” He gave Dan a wink, but couldn’t back up in time to avoid a harsh slap on the arm.

“I’m going to look ridiculous,” Dan stated.

“No you’re not. For an off-brand emo angst-fest, you’re pretty good looking,” said Louise.

It was not the best compliment Dan had ever received, but he still said, “Thanks.”

“At least try it on, Dan! Please. It’ll just be for a second,” urged Louise.

Dan rolled his eyes and said, “Fine.”

As soon as Dan put the jacket on and turned around to show his friends, he heard a soft, snarky laugh from behind him. Dan dreaded what was about to come out of his younger brother’s mouth.

“You look like a flamboyant salt shaker,” Adrian chuckled. Dan turned around to see him leaning against the door frame with a devious look in his eyes. In 0.2 seconds, Adrians’ phone was out and he was taking picture after picture of Dan in his  _ fabulous  _ outfit. It didn’t take long for Louise to pass Dan a pillow from off his bed and fling it at his brother.

Five pillows later, Adrian left and Dan took the jacket off. He sat on the floor next to his bed. “Can I officially un-invite myself to the party?”

“No!” said Louise and PJ at the same time. PJ sat down next to Dan and put his arm around him. “Listen, Dan,” he said in a calming voice. “You can’t keep running from all of your problems. It’s not good for you. If you face it now, then there’s no time for it to get any worse.”

Dan leaned his head back on the bed frame and said, “Peej, why do you have to give advice that makes sense?”

☆

When Phil arrived back home, he immediately started getting ready. He definitely wasn’t trying to impress someone (*cough*). He just wanted to look nice for people he hadn’t seen in a while. (Yeah, that’s it.)


End file.
